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See attachment for information on how to receive updates as well as contact information for the I-65/I-70 North Split Project. NorthSplit.PDF
Neighbors: INDOT will soon be embarking on a major reconstruction of our downtown interstate system that will have significant impact on our quality of life. As downtown residents, businesses, and property owners, we need to be involved in the process.
Read the story here: https://www.ibj.com/articles/65478-north-split-of-i-65i-70-to-receive-complete-makeover
AIA Meeting on Jan. 25: Interested in hearing a panel discussion re: the I-65/70 redevelopment project? Register to attend this free meeting. Details in the link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-january-aia-indianapolis-program-tickets-41870743521
Section 106 Hearing on Jan. 26: Meeting starts at 9 a.m. at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site.
Links to Information about the project:
http://www.huniindy.org
https://www.in.gov/indot/3663.htm
Ruth Morales (our Mayor's Neighborhood Advocate) informed us that 13 Emerald Ash Borer infested trees on Alabama St between 12th St and 16th St have been identified by a certified arborist as high risk and scheduled with a contractor for removal. The trees were marked with three orange dots in the shape of a triangle on 7/14/2017. Each resident adjacent to a marked tree was notified via door hanger of the intention to remove the tree. If you have additional questions, please contact Ruth at Ruth.Morales@indy.gov.
It’s spring cleaning season in the Old Northside, which means it’s time to clean out those attics, basements, garages and carriage houses and sign up to participate in the 6th annual Treasure Hunt.
Sponsored by Indiana Landmarks and the Old Northside Neighborhood Association, this free event pairs a neighborhood-wide yard sale with an antique/vintage market on the Indiana Landmarks campus that also features food trucks, music, and children’s activities.
Last year, nearly 60 homes participated in the Treasure Hunt, which drew more than 2,500 people to the neighborhood on a beautiful July day to shop for treasures, hunt for bargains, and admire the historic architecture of the Old Northside.
Please contact Libby Cierzniak at scoutdog5404@gmail.com if you’re interested in having a yard, garage, porch or carriage house sale on July 15. Even if you don’t have enough stuff for your own sale, you can still participate by:
As in previous years, Indiana Landmarks will handle publicity, maps and signs.
Volunteers are needed to replant the Sensory Garden at Great Oak Commons. Local horticulturist Chris Turner has designed a new garden with over 1000 plants to bring new life to this corner of the Old Northside.
Twenty volunteers are needed from 9:00 to 12:00 on Saturday, May 20th. Planting will continue unless there is heavy rain. In the event of heavy rain, Sunday May 21st is the rain date. Some tools are supplied, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite tools and a pair of gloves.
The Old Northside Foundation will provide refreshments.
On Sunday, February 26, Traders Point Christian Church opened its Downtown campus doors at 1201 N. Delaware, a historic building built between 1903 and 1912. Traders Point is one church in multiple locations throughout the Indianapolis metro area and has campuses Downtown, in Carmel, and near Zionsville. The church’s West location will open in Avon in fall of 2017.
Traders Point Christian Church is known in the Indianapolis community for its free indoor playground at the Northwest campus (The Park), advocacy and care for vulnerable children in the Indianapolis area, and hosting an annual prom for adults with special needs.
When attending a service at any Traders Point campus, expect a safe and engaging experience for your kids, free coffee, live worship, teaching, and connection with friendly, authentic people. It’s a relaxed environment where all are welcome and belong. With uncovered terrazzo floors and grand staircases, the Downtown lobby alone is worth checking out. The auditorium features original windows and main floor as well as balcony seating. The architecture is extravagant, the lobby is welcoming, and the people are down to earth.
Campus pastor Petie Kinder moved downtown from Brownsburg with his family in April of 2016. “For us, this Downtown campus isn’t about the building. It isn’t about where we meet as much as it’s about who we reach and the positive impact we can have in the community,” says Kinder.
When asked about why the church chose downtown, Kinder replied, “I think it’s important to mention that multisite strategy isn’t an effort to franchise. It’s an effort to bring church campuses to places Traders Point people are already living. We want to reduce the distance between their home and their church so that they can be involved throughout the week—not just on Sundays.”
“Our Northwest campus is right off I-65 and has become a regional church. So people drive from as far as 40 minutes in some cases to attend a church service. It’s really tough for those individuals to be involved with the church during the week as the drive is just too far.” Before the Downtown campus launched, Traders Point had more than two hundred people driving from downtown to attend the Northwest campus. Now, these individuals have a campus in their downtown neighborhood where they can worship on Sundays, join a group that meets during the week, and actively advocate for change through serving in their community.
It was important to the church to preserve the original building as much as possible while bringing the building up to code to serve the needs of those who may attend a weekend service or event. The majority of the renovations to the 35,000 square-foot building focused on safety in the children space and accessibility for individuals with special needs. The children’s space is outfit with modern improvements while featuring original brick walls and classic decor.
When it comes to the ways the church community will participate in the community, Petie says, “Honestly, we plan to spend a lot of time listening to the local community. We plan to address issues that are of great need. For example, many families in our church are involved in the foster care system and creating safe places for kids who need care.” Traders Point participates in safe families, a program where kids are cared for when their families are in crisis. “Wheeler Mission is another partner of ours. We want to connect with the good that’s already happening downtown. We aren’t about forcing Jesus on people. It’s more about just loving our neighbors the way Jesus would, and seeing what happens.” There’s a warmth and a posture of acceptance at Traders Point. The congregation is multigenerational and multiethnic and embraces authenticity and hope.
Traders Point Christian Church’s Downtown campus meets weekly on Sundays at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at 1201 N Delaware. Lead pastor Aaron Brockett and the teaching team at TPCC teach each week from the broadcast location at TPCC Northwest. Easter weekend, Saturday, April 15, services at 4 and 6 p.m. and Sunday, April 16, services at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon. To learn more, visit tpcc.org or download the TPCC app.
Have a project idea for the neighborhood? Whether it’s certain landscaping, euchre club, dinner night, a block party, more trees, a dog park, street signs, home tour, lighting, or whatever else, the ONS Neighborhood Association and Foundation want to know. Send project ideas to hitaylor09@gmail.com, which will be compiled into one list and given to the ONS Board and Foundation! This will help the ONS Board and Foundation have better sense of what improvements the whole neighborhood would like to see.
From six members in 1975 to over 100 members in 2017, the Old Northside Neighborhood Association has come a long way in its 42 years. In fact, give it just eight more years, and it’s historic! (In landmark terms.) But, until every neighbor is counted among the ranks, there is still progress to be made.
The Association strives to build a community that blends an historic 19th century neighborhood with a commitment to create a vibrant, modern, and diverse future. It also represents the neighborhood’s interests before governmental agencies, hosts social events, and facilitates neighborhood communication.
The Old Northside Foundation, the Association’s much younger (and non-profit) counterpart, is tasked to preserve, restore, and replace the artifacts and historical items of the neighborhood, preserve historic or architectural character through the acquisition and disposition of property, combat community deterioration, and to repair, maintain, and develop the infrastructure of the historic area (i.e. Shawn Grove Park, Great Oak Commons, Central Avenue clock and art installations, etc.).
To join or renew membership, or make a donation to the Foundation, please visit www.oldnorthside.org. (Our newly launched website and association management system, thanks to Reid Klion.)
The City of Indianapolis needs additional streetlights and wants your input to help determine factors that should guide future streetlight placement. You are invited to join this public forum so that your voice can be heard. The forum is tonight, April 11 from 6p. to 8p.
Click here for more information and to register.
If ONS residents would like to extend their effort year round, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) has a program that will help keep the ONS beautiful.
Joe Jarzen, Director of Community Engagement for KIB says Adopt-A-Block is a great way to become engaged in the community. KIB encourages individuals, schools, churches and business to adopt their block to keep streets free of litter and to get others involved in the neighborhood. Block by block, the program has grown to over 900 blocks adopted throughout Marion County, and has been an effective way to improve a neighborhood’s quality of life and community connectedness. Neighbors get to know one another and show that their street is cared for, and KIB provides tools, networking events and even a small grant program to support these local individualized efforts.
Spring through autumn are always high months for cleanups, but even as we head into the cold winter months, a need for litter pick-up remains a key piece. Each neighborhood has varying levels of litter problems and challenges that they face, but regardless a neighborhood with trash along the curbs can be detrimental to the overall experience. Adopt-A-Block helps provide residents the tools, such as brooms, shovels, litter grabbers and door hangers, to support them in the effort to clean up litter and build community.
The map below (from KIB.org) shows which blocks in the ONS have been adopted. Only three areas in the entire neighborhood are consistently looked after by an ONS resident. Residents are encouraged to sign up to adopt their block by learning more and completing the application at http://www.kibi.org/ adopt/ or contact Joseph Jarzen and Matt Wakefield at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.
The Old Northside Historic Neighborhood
